Means for preventing recoil of guns.



PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

s. MCOLEAN. MEANS FOR PREVENTING REGOIL OF arms.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 8, 1903.

. I f if T ilrnrno are as Patented hat as, 1905.

KTENT @rrrcnt SAMUEL N. MCCLEAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MEANS FQR PREVEltiTlNfi-It REGOBL OF GUNS- To (tZZ wi l/mnit nut crmccrn:

Be it known that l, SAMUEL N. MGCLEAN, a resident of Cleveland. Ohio, have invented a new and'useful Improvement in Means for Preventing Recoil of Guns, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to ordnance and firearms, and more particularly to means for controlling or minimizing the recoil thereof. In

the operation of heavy ordnance the recoil is sogreat that enormously expensive gun-can riages have to beconstructed to check or take up the recoil, while on shipboard the strain upon the platform or deck where the gun is mounted necessitates greatly increased strength of construction in the vessel and corresponding increase in cost.

,The object of the present invention is to provide a gun which shall possess within itself the means of avoiding or preventing the excessive recoil heretofore experienced, to the end that the great and many inconveniences and dificulties incident to handling recoiling guns may be eliminated.

With this (ibject iii-view theinvention consists in a gun-barrel formed to present a series of consecutively-arranged areas of'resistance to the how of the powder-gases in association with a system of. vents for controlling the pressure and direction of movement of the powder-gases. By thus controlling the energy of the powder-gases they are caused to oppose the recoil, and so diminish the pressure of the gases which escape from the muzzle of the barrel as to practically eliminate that portion of the recoil due to the reaction between the gases and the air immediately in front of the gun.

In the specific embodiment of the invention herein shown the invention consists in a gunbarrel pro'videdwith a series of internal surfaces arranged concentric with the barrel upon which the gases of discharge act to impcl the gun. forward in opposition tothe recoil action, said. surfacesprogressively increasing in area as they are formed nearer the -muz'zle of the harrel that is, the surface which is farthest removed from the muzzle of the barrel is the one of least area, the one which is nearest to the muzzle of the barrel sectional area.

is of the greatest area, and each member of the series of intervening surfaces has a greater area than the preceding member and a less area than its succeeding member in the series. The result of this is that as the muzzleof the barrel is approached there are presented constantly-increasing areas of resistance to the gases, whereby they act more effectively to oppose the rearwardly-acting force of recoil. Preferably these areas of resistance are each in the form of annular rearwardly-facing surfaces formed on the interior of the walls of the gun-barrel, the bore of the barrel being flared outwardly or out on an outward taper in a forward direction to permit the gases to readily and effectively impinge upon the rearwardly-facing surface.

Associated with these rearwardly facing sur-. faces, above described, I provide means for gradually and progressively decreasing the pressure of the gases within thebarrel, so that the tension of the gases is lowered step by step as the areas upon which they impinge is increased.

The means hereshown for lowering the tension of the gases consists of a series of vents or escape-ports preferably located immediately to the rear of each rearwardly-facing surface. In the most efiicient form of the invention the aggregatciarea of each series of escape ports or vents increases in proportion with the area of the particular surface of re- 7 sistance with which they are immediately associated; but this is notabsolutely essential. These vents or escape-ports are preferably in the form of regularly-arranged radial openings extending from the bore of the barrel to the exteriorsurface. The increase in the aggregate area of these vents may be secured either by having the vents of each series of the same size, but with a greater number of vents in each series, or by an equal number of vents in each series, but of increasing crossa ()ne mechanical expression of the inventive ideals illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a broken central cross-sectional view of the muzzle end of a rifled gun-barrel.

in said drawing, reference-numerals 1 to 10,

inclusive, indicate a series of rearwardly-fac- I00 surfaces formed by reaming out the bore l and a plurality of vents in proximity to each of the herrei. shown. inunedistcly in the rear of the surfaces 1 to 10'the Wall 11 of each resmedout portion is parallel with the gun-bore and then tapers inward and rearward. as indicated at 12. To the rear of each surface-i to 10 and preferably within each.

surface 11 is formed a series of vents or cscape-ports 13. As here shown. the number of vents in each annular series is the same; but the cross sectional area of the vents increases as the series approaches the muzzle, the series having the iargest vents being nearest the muzzle and the series havingthe smallest vents being farthest from the muzzle. The same result could be accomplished by forming all the vents of the same cross-sectional area and increasing the number of vents in each series from the rear toward the muzzie.

The surface of the bore of thebarrel intervening between the surfaces 1 2 3, 830., to 10 are here shown as rifled; but manifestly this maybe omitted Without departing" from the spirit ofthe invention. the essential feature of which consists in presenting a series of areas of resistance to the forward flow of the gases of discharge and associating with these areas of resistance vents for controlling the pressure of the powder-gases.

in operation'the forwardly-moving gases first impinge upon the rearwardly-facing surface or area of resistance 1, and simultaneously the tension of the gas is lowered by reason of the escape of a portihn tl'ierco'f through the vents 13 to the rear of the surface 1. this action being repeated at each of the resistingsurfaces to 10. the tension of the gradually decreasing while thearee acted upon by said gases gradually increases. i. his sets up H forward pull upon the gun in opposition to the force of recoil acting rcarwardly and also greatly reduces the tension of the gascurrcnt finally issuing from the muzzle of the gun. so that the factor of recoil due to the reaction of this gas-current. upon the air in front of the muzzie is minimized or entirely eliminated.

"What is claimed is l. A gun-barrel having a plurality of interior circumferential grooves and lateral vents ondii' through the walisof thcbarrci from grooms.

.in-harrei formed with a plurality of groove. on its interior 'fucc near out to the of the muzzle, and latcrd ts extending through the 'harrcl in proximity to said grmuvos.

3. A gun-barrel provided on its interior 'with series of resistance-surfaces for the powder is. associated with a series of vents in prox n ity to each surface of resistance. the aggregate areas of the several series of vents door; "sing from the muzzle rearward.

gun-barrel provided with a plurality of rczzrweully-facing surfaces on its interior,

surface.

5. A gun-barrel having a plurality of rearwardly-facing surfaces disposed on its interior in planes normal to the axis of the barrel, and a plurality of vents in proximity to each sur face.

(3. A gun-barrel provided with a plurality of rearwardly-facing surfaces-on its interior. and a plurality of radial vents in proximity to each surface. A I v i 7. A gun-barrelhaving a plurality of rearwardly-facing surfaces disposed on its interior in planes normal to theaxis of the barrel; and a plurality of radial vents in proximity to eneh surface.

8. A gun-barrel having a plurality of rearweirdly-facing resistance-surfaces on its interior; the areas of the several surfaces decrees-- ing from the muzzle rearward.

9. A gun-barrel having a plurality of rearwardly-facing resistance-surfaces"ohits-interior, the areas of the several surfaces decreasing from the muzzle rearward and a pfurality of vents in proximity to each resistance-sun face.

10. A gun-barrel havinga plurality of rear- Wardly-facing resistance-surfaces on its interior, the areas of the several surfaces decreasing from the muzzle rearward and a plurality of vents in proximity to each resistance-surated with the respective surfaces decreasing from the muzzle rearward.

l gun-barrel having a series of annular rearwardly-facing surfaces on its interior, the area of each surface being less than the one in front of it, and a series of vents located to the rear of each surface.

12. A gun-barrel having 21, series of annular face, the aggregate area of the vents associrem-\vardly-fucing surfaces on its interior, the

area of each surface hcinglcss than the one in front of it, and a series of vents located to the rear of each surface, the aggregate area of each series of vents being less than that of the series next in front of it.

13. A gun-barrel havinga series of annular grooves formed on its interior near the muz zie. each of said grooves being of less diamefer than the one immediately in front of it, and the forward surface of the grooves being normal to the axis of the gun while the rear surface is inclined at an angle thereto.

iro

is. A gun-barrel having a rifle-groove on its interior. a second groove on its interior extending across the rifle-groove. and vents extending through the Walls of the barrel.

'15. A gun-barrel having a series of resistmice-surfaces formed on its interior, the areas. of the several surfaces increasing from one end of the series to the other. i

16. A gun-barrel having a series of vents formed in its walls the cross-sectional area of the vents in the seriesincreasing from one end of the series to the other.

17. A gun-barrel having a series of resistarise-surfaces formed on its interior, and a series of vents associated therewith, the areas of the several, surfaces increasing from' one 'end of the series to the other and the crosscross-sectional area of the vents associated with any one surface of'the series being less than'the combined cross-sectional area of the vents associated with the-surface next above 1.5

it in the series. A

in testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- SAMUEL N. MCCLEAN.

Witnesses:

.JOBEPH WHEELER,

S. T. CAMERON. 

